Chairperson of the parliamentary working committee for the Sexual Violence Prevention Bill, Willy Aditya, has lauded President Joko Widodo’s supportive stance on necessary measures for addressing the issue of sexual violence in the country.
The President has also instructed Minister of Law and Human Rights and the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection to coordinate and consult the parliament to expedite the ratification of the bill,” Aditya, a legislator at the House of Representatives (DPR RI), said in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The chairperson confirmed that the bill is ready to be designated as a legislature-initiated bill prior to its ratification in the next DPR RI plenary session.
Responding to the President’s instruction to his ministers, he affirmed that the parliamentary working committee is ready to welcome working teams from the ministries to expedite the ratification of the sexual violence prevention bill.
“We need to expedite the bill’s progress because the bill has earlier passed arduous debates and deliberations in the working committee. I believe coordination with government ministries can further expedite the bill’s passage,” Aditya said.
He further said he is convinced that the President’s encouragement for the swift passage of the bill is motivated by his determination to protect sexual violence victims, particularly at a time when sexual violence cases in the country are showing an alarming increase.
“I believe the President has understood the urgency of this bill, hence his instruction to the ministers. The Presidential press statement today boosted our efforts for protecting sexual violence victims,” the working committee head noted.
Widodo’s stance must also embolden the determination of the government, the parliament, and the public in assuring the bill’s progress and protecting sexual violence victims, he added.
Aditya expressed the hope that President Widodo’s remarks will be a watershed moment in the national mission for protecting sexual violence victims and the ratification of the sexual violence prevention bill.
Earlier, President Widodo had instructed his ministers to assist the DPR RI in expediting the ratification of the sexual violence prevention bill after the parliament failed to ratify the bill during the last plenary session on December 16, 2021.
“I have also instructed the government’s task force for the sexual violence prevention bill to inventory any issues regarding the bill,” the President said in a video uploaded by the Presidential Secretariat YouTube channel in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The President expressed the hope that assistance from the government task force would expedite the bill’s passage.
Source: Antara News